Preface [The Overarching Issues of the European Space ...]

Preface The Earth, the blue planet, has persisted despite the threats and devastation it has suffered. It is composed of a multiplicity of ecosystems, albeit experiencing growing exploitation and a loss of biodiversity. Problems thus multiply, combining dynamic and multi-faceted territorial mosaics, as is the case in much of Europe, with others in decline, where development and sustainability are undermined, especially when economic and political interests supplant social and environmental aspects. Given these circumstances, strategies have emerged that focus on inclusive development, where environmental and socio-cultural approaches are privileged. The conservation of landscapes and heritage is emphasized, with the revitalization of the social dimensions at their core. However, given progressive environmental degradation, which is inseparable from the destruction of multiple landscape scenarios, reflecting climate change and human intervention, raising awareness has become a major concern, as has the need for widespread global intervention. 2015 is a landmark regarding these concerns, in which the 17 Sustainable Development Goals were set by the UN. At a meeting attended by most of the world leaders, targets were set and strategies defined, aimed at the eradication of poverty, within a framework in which economic, environmental and social development is privileged at different scales, to be achieved by 2030. Agenda 2030 thus aims to promote prosperity and well-being on a global scale, while preserving the environment and tackling climate change, but from an increasingly socialized perspective. This is indisputable, especially when we compare the 17 Sustainable Development Goals with the 8 Millennium Development Goals. It is hoped that the goals will be progressively achieved at a global scale, encompassing such diverse yet interdependent parameters such as eradicating poverty, promoting equitable access to power, education and quality health services, but also the creation of decent jobs in an environment where sustainability and energy efficiency, conservation and management of endogenous resources are a reality. Attempts are also made to promote effective institutions and stable societies, where justice and equality, along with gender equality, is unequivocal and inclusive, by eradicating all forms of discrimination and violence, by revitalizing social frameworks, and resources management where the preservation of landscapes and heritage is a reality. The social parameters, however, demand a more incisive approach, given the migration flows in Europe, rising inequalities and political and religious antagonisms, among others. It is therefore urgent to increase solidarity and responsibility by giving priority to the social and cultural dimensions of European and national policies. It is worth noting that, in Europe, the continuous migration flows are increasingly regarded as an opportunity, as they favor the structural rejuvenation of the European population, mitigating existing inequalities. 11 Environmental issues aggravate this scenario, degrading landscapes, heritage and cultures, which are sometimes centuries-old. Reflecting also climate change, which is increasingly omnipresent, focus has to be brought to bear on the sustainability of ecosystems and their diversity, going from the local scale, to the European and the global scale. If there is a convergence of the different national policies, where environmental and social strategies gain prominence over the economist ones, such a goal may be possible. However, a framework should also be set up where innovation and ethics are present, for example, by highlighting a circular, humanist economy, or even a bio-economy, rooted in digital media, increasing literacy and technical training. This will make it easier to increase the efficiency of endogenous resources, while preserving their diversity and fostering greater territorial cohesion. It is in this context that this publication appears, significantly called “THE OVERARCHING ISSUES OF THE EUROPEAN SPACE / GRANDES PROBLEMÁTICAS DO ESPAÇO EUROPEU - A strategic (re)positioning of environmental and socio-cultural problems? / Um (re)posicionamento estratégico das questões ambientais e socioculturais?”, where these very complex topics are questioned, comparing spaces such as the European with others such as the Portuguese-speaking ones, particularly the Brazilian. This represents the expansion of synergies and common projects, in a multidisciplinary and interuniversity, dynamic and revitalizing context. Gradually, the environmental and social aspects are highlighted, in an attempt to “humanize and increase social equality”, the only way to mitigate existing problems. This publication intends to contribute to a well-grounded, comprehensive and multifaceted analysis of the multiple problems raised. The volume is divided into four parts, focusing on the socio-cultural aspects and the environment, as well as sustainable, responsible and inclusive development. Part I, called "Education and Culture", is part of the strategic commitment to education and technical training, a privileged vehicle to broaden the perception of cultural differences, and to visualize the different components that lead to sustainable and intelligent development. It includes papers from eleven authors in eight chapters, which portray different realities and confirm the importance of this dimension. Paulo Jorge Santos reflects on the importance of teaching in “O ensino como arte narrativa” ("Teaching as Narrative Art"), exploring the impact of the narration of good stories on the perception of the world, as catalyzing elements of learning, which raise the students’ awareness to the reality surrounding them and its problems. A multifaceted strategy facilitates, in particular, the conservation of traditions, but under an innovative cover, as is the case in Bulgaria in secondary education. Stella Dermendhzieva and Tamara Draganova address this topic in "Traditions and Innovation in the Training of “Geography of Countries” in the Bulgarian Secondary School". In this case, the authors reflect on teaching from a geographical perspective where the combination of tradition and innovation favours territorial revitalization, the conservation of distinctive endogenous components, boosting development in remote villages and settlements, where the population is in decline, but where the elderly who remain represent a testimony of experiences and of the immaterial culture that slowly dissipates. Here is a work to be valued, as Milen Penerliev and Veselin 12 Petkov also point out in "Bulgarian villages - an authentic arena for conducting academic settlement studies”. It is a holistic development that is experimented, fostering the social and cultural dimensions. This approach is further reinforced in the following chapters, as confirmed in “Producción cientifica de la Union Europeia en el campo del Turismo (1998-2017)” ("European Union Scientific Production in the Field of Tourism (1998-2017))”, by José Ramon Cardona and María Dolores Sánchez-Fernández. Fortunately, culture and heritage are increasingly bolstered, given their many potentialities. Bearing this in mind, it is necessary to recover and revitalize heritage, whether or not resorting to a strategic functional reformulation, especially through tourism, as shown by Slavi Dimitrov in "Religious Tourism and Religious Tourism Resources" in Bulgaria, or Veselin Petkov in "Socio-cultural Features of Cultural Tourism in Bulgaria ". If we return to the Portuguese space, where the previously mentioned dynamics are also replicated in examples in this volume, the importance of dissemination is also discussed, the public presentation of a product, as part of a contextual perspective. It is an element to be explored, in order to expand the dynamics of development, while satisfying the different expectations of the visitor, the tourist and the students. António Barros Cardoso analysis this topic in “Como se “vestia” o Vinho do Porto (seculos XVI e XVIII)” (“How was Port wine ‘dressed’ (16th to 18th centuries))”, emphasizing an aspect that denotes not only the importance of this world-renowned nectar, but also the interference of the image, of the culture embodied in a bottle and its label, adding knowledge to the history of Port wine. Culture and tourism play a harmonious role. Then, more recent artistic proposals are also presented, which value conservation and documental and artistic dissemination. Analyzing the importance of dissemination platforms, Aldones Nino reflects on new cultural manifestations associated with multiple events, in a very enriching dialogue between the Brazilian milieu and the “old European world” or Africa, in “Approximations and distancing between contemporary art and decolonial thinking: Documenta 14 and MASP”. International society is indeed changing, the reason for the second part of this book. The seven chapters that comprise it, written by ten authors from four countries, correspond to seven perspectives that cover diverse realities, such as the Portuguese, Spanish, Irish and Brazilian. The components that affect this global change are multiple, but one of the aspects to consider given their interference is the legal framework and its relationship with new technologies and the digital world, as this tool is increasingly part of social and business life. This approach addresses the impact of electronic data processing and transmission, or ecommerce, given that, despite the many advantages, there are challenges to be monitored, resulting in internal updates and regulations, as well as new concepts. Glória Teixeira and Marlene Teixeira de Carvalho address all these dynamics in “Tax challenges in the technological and digital contexts”. But many other challenges have to be faced in the new millennium, because of their impact on urban areas and rural areas, arising in particular from different flows with deep 13 territorial impacts, to which Mary Cawley draws attention in “Rural emigration to International destinations and return: a perspective from Ireland”. The topic is also addressed in broader terms at European level by João Luís J. Fernandes, in the chapter called “Os territórios de espera e o fluxo recente de migrantes clandestinos na Europa. O caso particular do campo Jungle, em Calais (França)” (“The territories of waiting and the recent flow of clandestine migrants in Europe. The particular case of the Jungle camp in Calais (France))”. It is one of the reflexes of extra-European conflicts transferred to the community space, with all the challenges of cultural adaptation and inclusion. Population decline is already inevitable in Europe, especially in Galicia, and the question that José António Aldrey Vàzquez and Xosé Constenla Veja raise is pertinent: “El declive de la poboacion en Galicia. Hacia el vacío demográfico?” (“The decline of the population in Galicia. Towards the demographic vacuum?”). This trend, which is more pronounced in the more peripheral European countries, must be reversed, given the consequences, such as environmental degradation and the abandonment of (tangible and intangible) heritage, or the loss of identity and unique landscapes, accentuating the lack of territorial cohesion, inequalities, and conflicts. Such a scenario must be stopped. Gender issues, especially the importance of women in society, could not be ignored, and this volume addresses three distinct but complementary facets that confirm the rise of women in today's society. Thus, “Protestos no feminino na Europa: das “Marias da Fonte” às marchas mundiais das mulheres” (“Protests in the feminine in Europe: from the “Marias da Fonte” to the world’s women marches”) are analysed by Célia Taborda Silva, in a diachronic perspective and at various scales. Other events are also explored, intended to raise the awareness of the competent authorities and society in general to issues such as gender violence in their interconnection with international migration flows, as Marly de Jesus Sá Dias and Maria Natália Ramos examine in “Mulheres brasileiras em Portugal e violência de género: desafios migratórios em contexto internacional” (“Brazilian Women in Portugal and Gender Violence: challenges in an international context”). Focusing on the Brazilian territory, women's reluctance to participate more actively in society and culture is analyzed, portraying the continuity of the patriarchal culture, impeding societal changes and dissuading female political participation, in “Sub-representação das mulheres na política no Brasil: reflexos de uma cultura patriarcal?” (“Underrepresentation of women in politics in Brazil: reflections of a patriarchal culture?”), by Maria Mary Ferreira. The society is in turmoil, but its foundations and the multiplicity of scenarios remain solid, and many challenges have been faced and solutions found to mitigate their effects. The information conveyed by the media and scientific studies, when analyzing and diffusing such problems and trends, facilitate their resolution. Although social issues are becoming more widespread as a result of education and literacy, awareness of environmental problems is growing, particularity of the fragility and scarcity of natural resources and the need to preserve the diversity of ecosystems. This is the focus of Part III, which, in its six chapters, by sixteen authors, addresses illustrative examples of 14 these issues. In fact, natural (or anthropic?) catastrophes occur at an overwhelming pace, perceptible within a single generation. But attention is paid also to finding solutions, for example, through the use of regenerative energies, as Ana Isabel Boura examines in “A política energética alemã – exemplo europeu de sustentabilidade?” (“German energy policy - a European example of sustainability?”), as a strategy to reduce the carbon footprint and to slow down global warming and its impacts. These problems affect the entire European area, although new environmental strategies, associated or not with a partisan framework, are visible at different scales. This is the case presented by João Monteiro, in “Transição para a cidade pós-carbónica: uma proposta de mobilidade sustentável para Vizela” (“Transition to the Post-Carbonic City: A Proposal for Sustainable Mobility for Vizela”) or, in “Políticas públicas do Brasil para produtos florestais não madeireiros” (“Public Policies of Brazil for non-timber forest products”), by Nadja Maria da Silva, together with three co-authors. The conservation of natural resources and the economic and political environment that surround them must be reconciled in a responsible and sustainable manner. However, the destruction of the natural order of ecosystems is notorious, reflected in climate change, which requires a proactive approach from the competent authorities, in order to lessen their effects, to anticipate disasters and to slow down environmental and social decline. The rural world especially requires urgent attention, given the rising problems and peripheralism it faces. Margarida Quintela Martins addresses this matter in “As alterações climáticas nas politicas públicas agrícolas e seu desenvolvimento rural no ensino e na investigação em Portugal” (“Climate change in public agricultural policies and their rural development in education and research in Portugal”). There is also a focus on the droughts in the Iberian Peninsula, with serious consequences at different levels, a topic explored in “Efectos de la sequía del año 2017 sobre le nebulosidade en la Península Ibérica” (“Effects of drought in 2017 on cloud cover in the Iberian Peninsula") by Dominic Royé and Lorenzo Nieves. Environmental issues deserve our full attention, denouncing dramatic circumstances, but highlighting also revitalizations and associated strategies, at different scales of analysis, including the geological. This is important, as Lúcio Lucio Carramillo Caetano (with six coauthors) states in “Transgression and regression of the South Atlantic Ocean, Brazilian Coast. Case study: coastal plain of the Paraíba do Sul River, Brazil”. Fortunately, while environmental issues remain urgent, focus is brought to bear on the social and cultural perspective, although the primacy of the economist view persists: it is the financial world that still regulates the world economy, as is evident in Part IV of this publication, although with distinct differentiations, namely between urban and rural spaces, and at different scales of analysis. In seven chapters involving twelve authors, it is clear that, although the economist view dominates, only in an environment with cooperation is sustainability possible. This is explicit in “Geografia da cooperação internacional para o desenvolvimento: um olhar estratégico das relações Brasil-África no início do século XXI” (“Geography of international cooperation for development: a strategic view of Brazil-Africa relations at the beginning of the 15 twenty-first century”), by André Santos da Rocha, but also in the European space, namely in the coordination of maritime economy through the “Integrated Maritime Policy”. It is a new strategy, where science, technology, innovation and, of course, cooperation, based on a long history but also on the confluence of member states' interests, favours development, as Regina Salvador sustains in “A strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Maritime Region: the making of a macroregion across the EU Border”. But, often, the absence of collaboration stands out, visible at different scales, namely the national one, as Ileana Constantinescu and Adriana Motatu highlight in “Aspects theoriques et pratiques concernant les retrocessions en Roumanie” (“Theoretical and practical aspects of retrocessions in Romania”), where they address the restitution of the rural properties in Romania after 1989 and the issues involved, in particular the political and legal. Restricting, however, the scale of analysis to more contained spaces, the problems persist. A paradigmatic case is the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro, as explained by Leandro Dias de Oliveira, in “As “fronteiras” da Região Metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro: mudanças territoriais e ajustes no circuito econômico-produtivo” (“The ‘frontiers’ of the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro: territorial changes and adjustments in the economicproductive circuit”), based on the expansion of Rio de Janeiro, following the creation of new economic, industrial and logistical centralities at its ‘frontiers’. These spaces have consolidated as new centers of development, but under other legal and, above all, logistical umbrellas, with repercussions on the territorial and social structure, especially in the agricultural areas that remain in the State of Rio de Janeiro. In areas of family-based holdings, under official technical supervision (Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro), an increase in the income of these families was provided, while food and nutritional security were bolstered. This project has been very well-received, as it also favours the preservation of the peasant identity and social inclusion, as described by Edilene Portilho (with five coauthors), in “Fortalecimento da agricultura familiar na Baixada Fluminense – RJ (Brasil): identidade camponesa e inclusão social” (“Strengthening family farming in Baixada Fluminense - RJ (Brazil): peasant identity and inclusion Social”). Moreover, in Brazil, after the problems arising from the productivist period, which depleted environmental resources, this project attempts to reverse the situation by highlighting and supporting family agriculture and organic products, or even valuing geographical indications, as Regina Cohen Barros explores in “A variedade das indicações geográficas brasileiras e o desenvolvimento local” ("The variety of Brazilian geographical indications and local development”). Fortunately, this dynamic, where sustainable development is underpinned, is gaining ground, as is also the case with social agriculture, which is examined by Antoni F. Tulla in “La agricultura social (as) como una oportunidad en Europa en el marco de un nuevo enfoque de desarrollo rural sostenible (DRS)” (“Social agriculture (SA) as an opportunity in Europe in the framework of a new sustainable rural development approach (SRD)”). It facilitates the integration and empowerment of social groups at risk, through agricultural activity and contact with nature, or even directing them towards the artisanal transformation of agricultural products. This is a new perspective that views agricultural 16 practices as a social function, since they provide job creation and training. Thus, social inclusion is favored in the peri-urban areas, especially in Spain. Gradually, the solidarity economy is bolstered, shifting emphasis from the purely economist approach. Endogenous, physical and human resources, as well as cohesion and territorial sustainability, are also favoured, as exemplified in the success stories analyzed here. Only in this context will a sustainable economy, social well-being and harmony be possible, In conclusion, a strategic (re)positioning of environmental and socio-cultural issues is effectively required to achieve sustainable development. The issue expressed in the subtitle of this publication has thus gained more relevance. Porto, May 2019 Helena Pina 17 Prefácio A terra, o planeta azul, apesar das ameaças e destruições a que tem sido sujeito, persiste marcado por uma multiplicidade de ecossistemas, ainda que cada vez mais explorados, e em perda de biodiversidade. Assim se multiplicam os problemas, misturando-se os mosaicos territoriais dinâmicos e plurifacetados, como sucede em grande parte do espaço europeu, com outros em declínio, onde o desenvolvimento e a sustentabilidade são postos em causa, sobretudo quando os interesses económicos e políticos suplantam a vertente social e ambiental. Dada a relevância do quadro apresentado, despontam estratégias que apostam num desenvolvimento inclusivo, onde as abordagens ambiental e sociocultural são privilegiadas. Assim se realça a preservação das paisagens e do património, numa perspetiva em que a revitalização dos quadros sociais é primordial. Porém, dada a progressiva degradação ambiental, indissociável da destruição de múltiplos cenários paisagísticos, que reflete as alterações climáticas e a intervenção humana, a consciencialização desta problemática está a aumentar, bem como a necessidade de uma intervenção generalizada, global. Neste contexto, é de referência obrigatória o ano de 2015, em que foram fixados pela ONU os 17 Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável. Numa reunião em que participaram a maioria dos líderes mundiais, estabeleceram-se metas e definiram-se estratégias, visando-se a erradicação da pobreza, num quadro em que o desenvolvimento económico, ambiental e social é privilegiado a diferentes escalas, tendo como limite temporal 2030. Assim surgiu a “Agenda 2030”, através da qual se promove a prosperidade e o bem estar à escala global, preservando o ambiente, enquanto se combatem as alterações climáticas, mas numa perspetiva cada vez mais socializada. Tal é indiscutível, sobretudo quando comparamos os 17 Objetivos do Desenvolvimento Sustentável, com os antecedentes 8 Objetivos do Milénio. Projeta-se a progressiva implementação dos objetivos, até se atingir a escala global, abrangendo-se parâmetros tão diversos, mas interdependentes, como erradicar a pobreza, promovendo o acesso equitativo à energia, à educação e aos serviços de saúde de qualidade, mas também a criação de emprego digno num ambiente onde a sustentabilidade e a eficiência energética, a conservação e a gestão dos recursos endógenos sejam uma realidade. Intentase, também, a promoção de instituições eficazes e de sociedades estáveis, onde a justiça e a equidade, a par da igualdade de géneros, seja inequívoca e inclusiva, erradicando-se todas as formas de discriminação e de violência, revitalizando-se os quadros sociais, instituindo-se ainda uma gestão de recursos onde a preservação das paisagens e do património seja uma realidade. Os parâmetros sociais, porém, exigem uma exploração cada vez mais incisiva, já que permanecem os fluxos migratórios no espaço europeu, enquanto se avolumam as desigualdades e se intensificam antagonismos de caráter político e religioso, entre outros. Urge, pois, aumentar a solidariedade e a responsabilidade, privilegiando a vertente social e cultural nas políticas europeias e nacionais. Recorde-se, aliás, que os contínuos fluxos 18